Loom-shuttle



Oct. 31, 1933. E. R. HOLMES 1,932,782

- LOOM SHUTTLE Filed March 22, 1932 FIE E Smsentor Q fiflbridge R. Holmes Patented Get. 31, 1933 ieme r is i AYES earner Y OFFICE Application March 22. 1932. Serial No. 600,460

4 Ciaims.

' This invention relates to loom shuttles and particularly to shuttles in which it is necessary that the bobbin be located in a certain predetermined angular position. This necessity arises for instance in connection with the use of certain types of weft detecting mechanism which operate in conjunction with slotted or recessed bobbins or weft carriers.

It is the object or" my invention to provide im- 19 proved means for insuring that a bobbin or weft carrier will occupy a definite and predetermined angular position in a shuttle.

A further object or" the invention is to provide means effective to automatically shift a Weft l5 carrier to a predetermined angular'position if the weft carrier is presented in the shuttle in a slightly displaced relation.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention, together with a modification thereof, is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a partial sectional side elevation of a shuttle and weft carrier embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in a different position;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional end elevations of my improved shuttle, with the parts in different successive positions;

Fig. '7 is a partial plan view of a modified form of weft carrier;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the weft carrier, looking in the direction of the arrow 8 in Fig. '7, and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional side ele- 49 vation, taken along the line 99 in Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a shuttle S having a spindle 10 pivoted at 11 in the shuttle body and movable from the operative position shown in Fig. 1 to the inoperative or reloading position shown in Fig. 3. A spring 12 engages flat surfaces 13 or 1 adjacent the pivoted shank 10 of the spindle 10 and holds the spindle yieldingly in either its raised or lowered position.

The pivot 11 of the spindle 10 is mounted in a sheet metal casing 16, seated in a recess in the body of the shuttle S and having the upper outer corners of the casing displaced inwardly, as indicated at 18 in Figs. 2 and 4.

The shank portion 16 of the spindle 10 is slotted as indicated at 20 (Fig. 2) and the two parts or" the spindle shank are so shaped that they tend to spread apart as widely as the casing 16 will permit.

When the spindle 10 is raisedp'the inwardly projecting corner or cam portions 18 of the casing 0 16 engage the sides of the spindle shank 10 and force the shank members toward each other as indicated in Fig. 5; This releases the bobbin B which is mounted'on the spindle 10 so that an empty bobbin may be removed and may be re- 5 placed by a fresh bobbin.

As the spindle is lowered, the shank portions 10 of the spindlelt) move downward away from the cam portions 18 of the casing 16 and are then free to spring outward to firmly engage the 7 bobbing B and to hold the same from axial displacement. Y

A detector lever 22 ismounted on the pivotll between the shank portions 10, and the end 23 of the detecting leverprojects through a slot 24 7 in the bobbin B and engages the filling F on the bobbin. A rearwardly projecting-portion 26 or" the lever 22 engages and'lifts a contact plate 27 against the tension of a rubber-band or other resilient member 28. i 89 So long as filling F is present on the bobbin B, the plate 27 is held in raised position, but when the slot 24 is uncovered, the lever 22 is free to swing and the plate 27 is drawn downward by the member 28, causing the plate to engage contact members 30 (Figs. 1 and 2) and thus complete an electric circuit by which an indication of weft exhaustion is transmitted to the weft replenishing mechanism. 7

For a more detailed description of the weft de- 90 tecting mechanism and its operation, reference is (I made to my copending application Serial No. 587,233, filed January 18, 1932.

My present invention is directed more particularly to the provision of improved means for 10- eating the bobbin B so that the slot 24 will be correctly aligned with the end 23 of the detecting lever 22. For this purpose the butt 40 of the bobbin B is slabbed ofi at one side, as indicated at 41 in Fig. i, and the casing 16 is provided with an outwardly projecting shoulder or abutment 44 (Figs. 2 and 3) which is engaged by the butt 40 of the bobbin B unless the fiat surface 41 is in vertical alignment with the side of the abutment l, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6.

When in this position, the spindle 10 and bobbin B may be swung downward to the operative position indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, with the slot 24 in alignment with the detecting end 23 of the lever 22. If the bobbin B is only slightly displaced from 110 its correct angular position on the spindle 10, the abutment 44 will engage the surface 41 of the bobbin butt 40 with a cam action as indicated in Fig. 4, and will turn the bobbin to the correct position as it is swung downward into the shuttle.

The abutment 44 is at such a height with respect to the cam portions 18 that the bobbins will be straightened on the spindle by the abutment 44 before the shank portions 10 of the spindle are permitted to spread apart and grip the bobbin.

If the bobbin B is displaced to such an extent that the abutment 44 engages the circular periphery of the butt 40, the bobbin cannot be fully entered on the spindle.

I have thus provided novel and serviceable devices for insuring that the bobbin B shall be correctly positioned angularly on the spindle 10. Furthermore, the flat portion 41 of the butt 40 is easily seen by the weaver and he is enabled thereby to quickly determine the correct position of the bobbin on the spindle.

In Figs. '7, 8 and 9 I have shown my invention applied to a weft carrier of the cop or paper tube variety. In this case, the cop C is provided with a slot or opening 50 for the detector lever and is also provided with a metal sleeve or bushing 52 secured on the butt portion of the cop and having an outstanding flange 53 formed thereon, with a portion 54 of said flange bent toward the base of the cop to provide a flat side surface for engagement by the abutment 44.

The flange 53 is preferably formed by a press operation on the sleeve 52 and the preferred relation of the parts of the sleeve and flange is clearly indicated in Fig. 9.

The use and advantages of my invention are the same whether used with the metal bobbin B shown in Figs. 1 to 6, or with the cop C having the metal sleeve 52 as indicated in Figs. 7 and 9. Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:-

1. In a loom, a Weft carrier, a shuttle having a spindle to receive said weft carrier, said spindle being pivoted and movable to operative and inoperative positions, and means engaging the periphery of the butt of the weft carrier and efiective to shift a slightly misplaced weft carrier about the axis of said spindle to a predetermined angular relation thereto as said spindle is moved to operative position and to hold said weft carrier in said predetermined relation to said spindle.

2. In a loom, a shuttle having a spindle, a weft carrier having a butt of substantially circular cross section with one flattened side, and an abutment in said shuttle engaging said flattened side of said weft carrier butt with a cam action as the spindle is swung downward to operative position in said shuttle, said abutment being effective by such cam action to correct limited angular displacement of said weft carrier on said spindle.

3. In a loom, a weft carrier having a metal butt portion formed with an outstanding flange and having a portion of said flange bent into a plane substantially parallel to the axis of said weft carrier, and a shuttle having a pivoted spindle to receive said weft carrier, and having a device mounted in fixed position in said shuttle and engageable by said bent flange portion, thereby moving a slightly misplaced weft carrier angularly and holding said weft carrier in predetermined angular relation to said spindle.

4. A weft carrier for use in a loom shuttle comprising a tapered hollow tube and a butt portion therefor, said butt portion being formed as 2' a metal sleeve seated on said tube and having an outstanding intermediate double flange with a portion thereof bent into a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the weft carrier, said bent portion constituting means by which said weft carrier may be angularly positioned in a shuttle.

ELBRIDGE R. HOLMES. 

